Winemiller's Eartheater Care Guide
Geophagus winemilleri is a blackwater eartheater from the Rio Negro and Casiquiare system. A relatively peaceful sand-sifter for soft, acidic water.
Overview
Geophagus winemilleri is an eartheater cichlid described by López-Fernández and Taphorn in 2004 and named after the fish ecologist Kirk O. Winemiller, who directs an aquatic ecology laboratory at Texas A&M University. It comes from southern Venezuela and probably adjacent northern Brazil, in the lower Casiquiare drainage and the headwaters of the Rio Negro. Like its relatives it is a substrate-sifting fish and a member of the wider Geophagus surinamensis species group. FishBase reports a maximum standard length of about 20 cm, making it a medium-sized cichlid.
Taxonomy
- Family: Cichlidae
- Genus: Geophagus
- Scientific name: Geophagus winemilleri
- Described: López-Fernández & Taphorn, 2004
Habitat
The species inhabits acidic blackwater environments with low mineral content, over soft sandy or muddy substrates along marginal zones of the upper Rio Negro, Río Siapa and the Casiquiare system. These are warm, soft and mineral-poor waters.
Tank requirements
- Minimum tank volume: 350 L (about 92 gal)
- Temperature: 26-30 °C (79-86 °F)
- pH: 5.0-6.5
- GH: 1-5 °dGH
- Group size: keep at least 5 individuals
- Lifespan: 8-12 years
Diet
Geophagus winemilleri is benthophagous and feeds by sifting substrate. Its natural diet comprises small invertebrates, plant seeds, organic detritus and sediment. Aquarium specimens take fine-grade prepared foods plus small live or frozen bloodworm, Tubifex, Artemia and mosquito larvae, ideally divided into several portions across the day.
Compatibility
Outside of breeding the species is described as surprisingly peaceful, but it needs to be kept in a group of at least five to eight individuals, which establishes a dominance hierarchy. In smaller numbers weaker fish may be subjected to excessive aggression. Tiny tankmates and aggressive cichlids are not suitable companions.
Breeding
It is a substrate-spawning, larvophilous biparental mouthbrooder. The eggs are laid on a surface and the parents take the developing larvae into their mouths; both parents or the female alone may carry out the brooding.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Least Concern (assessed 2020). FishBase rates the species as having high resilience and low vulnerability to fishing pressure.